"wrote this after
a disappointing tournament when my son was 9 years old. I wrote it
as a way to ease my emotions and to also give myself some
perspective of my own disappointment in my sonís performance.
Iíve yet to give it to him, and I donít know when or if I ever will,
but I thought someone should read it."

To my son,

You had a tough time on the mat today and the ride home
was pretty quiet. I admit I was very disappointed but I
later came to realize that I shouldnít be and that it is
all part of the journey you are taking.

When I watch you on the mat I worry that you are doing
battle while unprepared and that I have failed in your
preparation. As a father that is my greatest fear, that
you are unprepared to face the challenges that will come
before you. I want you to be prepared for your match,
but Iíve come to realize that it is the matches
themselves that, are in the long run, win or lose, the
things that ARE preparing you.

I think that the greatest benefit from wrestling is
learning to face challenges and to demand the most from
yourself. You learn to fight when you think there is no
more fight left within you. You learn to get up after
youíve fallen, time and time again. You learn about
sacrifice and about pain. You learn to endure and to
overcome. This is what I want for you, not because I
wrestled, but because these lessons are the true gifts
of this sport. So, those losses today were actually
part of this gift, and an important part of the journey.

My dream for you is to not just win championships and
fill your room with medals. My dream for you is much
greater and I hope you get much more from wrestling. I
hope you learn to strive for greatness even if you fail
in the attempt. I hope you learn to get up one more
time when you think you canít get up any longer. I hope
you learn to not only face your fears, but to stare them
down.

Wrestling isnít about winning. It is about the desire
to win. It isnít about success, but rather the
determination to succeed. I want you to succeed as a
wrestler, not to win state championships, but I want you
to be a successful wrestler so you learn to be all that
you can. This sport can help teach you that, if you let
it. I look forward to the seasons of our future as you
go through these lessons and Iíll be in your corner for
each and every one of them. I love you.